Case History: Overcoming Geological Challenges with a Unique Excavation Support System in an Urban Environment

For the University of Pittsburgh's new Athletic Sports Performance Center project, a unique, technical design assist/build approach was employed to overcome both the dense urban environment and challenging subsurface conditions. The new sports arena will house multiple venues for the university in the years to come. With no braced floors obstructing sight lines and heavy roof loads through 65-ft tall external walls, Amelie designed an online hybrid temporary/permanent tied back soldier beam wall system over 45,000-sf of exposed face as a vertical slabs, supported on 14" wide strip footings to these 65-ft heights, thereby minimizing the cast in place outer wall thicknesses with depth. The design also addressed surcharge effects from buildings in close proximity to the shoring system. During construction, a significant coal mine interval was addressed as to not negatively impact the integrity of the shoring system and existing dormitory buildings. The case history represents a one of a kind technical approach to a hybrid shoring system while sharing subsurface risk and contingency techniques to avoid potential negative outcomes.